


Where There's a Henry, There's a Way (Though It's Not Always Straightforward)

by IAmUmbreon11



Series: BATIM stuff oops [1]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: AU Snippets, AU of an AU, AU of the Liquid AU, Alice and Bendy don't hate each other's guts woah, Alice and Susie are daughter and mother just figuratively, Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe, And Henry needs a hug, Bendy no, Bendy this is not how you make friends, Bendy's an average eight year old child, Black Out - AU, Boris can't speak, Boris is your typical extremely loyal dog, Boris needs a hug too, Campfires and smores, Cartoon Censors, Censoring Swear Words, Clones, Demons, Don't Judge Me, Don't Try This At Home, EDGAR NO, Evil Alice - Freeform, Evil Joey, Film AU, Flamethrower, Good Alice, Good Joey - Freeform, Grant Dies, Grant gets stuck in the vents and has to be let out, Grant is very protective of his spider, Grant's an aNGEL, Henry dies, Henry is an awkward lump, Henry loves Boris like a son, Henry the Searcher, Holy sht the amount of AUs in this-, Hostile Work Environments, I Don't Even Know, I love these searchers, INTERNAL SCREAMING, IT'S JUST MUSIC, Immortality, Joey is a clueless idiot, Joey is a clueless idiot who can't write contracts, Joey is extremely confused and Alice isn't helping, Joey stop starting fights between your coworkers, Joey what were you even doing, Joey why. just no, Joey's an average dad, Lacie and Wally is smart, Liquid AU, MaLICE NO, Many AUs, Many things die, Mayhem, Meanwhile On The Outside AU, Meanwhile On the Outside, Murray you're an idiot, Music, Mute - Freeform, Mute Alice, Norman needs a hug, OMAKES, Oops, Oops i forgot to write much for him, Overwatch versus Warcraft, Pretty much everyone needs a hug, Reckless Shawn is best Shawn, STOP ATTACKING EACH OTHER, Save me the plot ducks have come, Screws Ink and Stuffed Toys AU, Searchers that are good and don't do bad things, Shawn is a reasonable person for once, Shawn no, Somebody give poor Grant a vacation, Susie no stop, The monsters aren't always bad, These are the best searchers ever, They Are My Children Now, This Is STUPID, Toons do not equal humans, Toons equal humans, Wally barely has any role in this chapter, Why Did I Write This?, au of the Cartoon Nightmares AU, bloopers, grant is 5 feet 1 inch and weighs 89 pounds, grant rants about hostile work environments, grant ties joey up somehow, happy endings, hashtag save grant cohen his boss spends a shtload of money and sacrifices people for fun, hey isnt it strange that bendy's never come up once??, how did grant tie joey up, i dont know if thats a thing irl but who cares, inhumane experiments, joey is 6 feet 1 inch and weighs 178 pounds, joey is a dick, joey's only mentioned briefly, mention of alcoholism, mute characters, norman will be back after this short break, oh no, oof, ooooof, oops i did it again, poor Grant, roasting candy over fires may be hazardous to your health, sad endings, so riddle me this, susie stop swearing near the innocent muffins, too many tags, what is this, why, why is there no character tag for edgar he needs his own character tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-03-29 06:35:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 10,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13921431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmUmbreon11/pseuds/IAmUmbreon11
Summary: In another universe, Henry and the Projectionist cross paths. This doesn't go as you think it might. (The product of Plot Ducks invading my brain)EDIT: Now just a collection of prompts. Thanks for that, Plot Ducks. ;w;





	1. Static

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Star_Going_Supernova](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Going_Supernova/gifts), [MsFaust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsFaust/gifts).
  * Inspired by [With Infinite Worlds, Everything Must Exist Somewhere](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12785889) by [Star_Going_Supernova](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Going_Supernova/pseuds/Star_Going_Supernova). 



> I don't know why I wrote this. It might be a one-off, but it's more likely that I'll elaborate.

In another world, the Projectionist screeched and charged when it saw Henry, who had frozen in surprise at the grating noise.   
Just before he slammed his raised fist into Henry, the Projectionist stopped. Its head tilted slightly; Henry didn’t dare move as the massive toon leaned over him. The speaker set into its chest crackled, cycling through some static before asking, in a soft but garbled voice, “Henry? Is that you?”   
Henry’s eyes widened. It sounded like— “Norman?”

The two stare at each other for a long, long moment, both surprised to see the other. Henry fidgets with the Tommy gun nervously, and Norman seems to be eyeing it with apprehension. Well, as much a someone with a projector for a head can eye something, anyway.  
After the long moment, Norman backs away. Before Henry can react, the toon is gone, and he is left staring at empty space and wondering just how the massive thing that Norman had become had left so quickly, without even making a sound.  
Without a second thought, Henry drops the Tommy gun in the nearest Little Miracle station and continued collecting ink hearts. There’s no way he’d be able to shoot something after that.  
He’s wondering just who the other monstrous toons were. It’s obvious who Sammy was, but….who was the searcher he axed in half? Who was the Piper that he’d beaten to death with a pipe? His mind was sort of calmed by the knowledge that they reform, but how much pain had he caused just within the last day or so?  
He has no idea. He’s not sure he wants to know. 

As Norman reforms in a different area of Level 14, he thinks. He thinks about Henry, and Joey, and how he came to be. He thinks about what happened to Sammy, and he thinks about the unmistakable feeling he gets when Boris - Wally - wanders down to Level 14.  
He thinks about Henry the most, though. What could possibly have happened to bring the man back here? And why?  
He’s not entirely sure he wants to know, though. Henry had been very angry when he left, and up until now, he’d kept his promise of never coming back. It has to be serious. And among the many things that Norman absolutely, positively DOESN’T need in his life right now, number three on the list is “other people’s problems”. (Number two is “a deranged angel with an axe” and number one is “Joey Drew”.)  
And so he stands, and he thinks.


	2. Then Who?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry questions the legitimacy of the studio's creatures.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: I took a few liberties with the safety list. Only the asterisked ones, but small warning for Grant dying and Joey being a d*ck in general.

In another world, a man looks down at a dead blob of ink. A wolf stands beside him.  
”It doesn't make sense." Henry looks up at the wolf. "These recordings--none of the people who supposedly made them could have done so. And I know none of them are here--that thing calling itself Sammy was obviously down here too long to be the real deal, for instance."  
"Then who was Joey using in his experiments?" Boris wonders.  
The only answer is the inky blob sinking into the floor. After a moment, Henry answers. “I have no idea. All I can hope for at this point is that he didn’t do too much damage before this happened.”  
Boris opens his mouth as if to attempt to cheer him up (or argue against his point), but is interrupted by a loud screeching noise. Both of them whip around and stare at the large figure standing there. A projector replaces its head and wires are fused to its body.  
Henry sighs. “We can continue this later. I’ve got a monster to slap in the face with a wrench.”

About an hour later, Boris restarted the conversation as they sat in the Safe Room. “So, about earlier….”  
“What about earlier?”  
“Uh, you know how you said that you hoped Joey hadn’t caused too much damage?” Boris makes a semi-cheerful face. “Well….”  
Henry sighs. “Let me guess. He murdered them?”  
“Well, I don’t know the specifics, but that’s the gist of it, yes.” Boris shrugs sadly. “I don’t know who he used, though.”  
“Well, knowing him, he probably just took random homeless people off the streets.” Henry shrugs, mimicking Boris’ much larger movements. “He’s crazy, but he’s not an idiot.”  
Suddenly, there was a banging noise at the door. Henry and Boris exchange glances before Henry gets up and peers through the slot at the bottom. “Oh fuck. Boris, can I have the wrench?”  
Boris wordlessly hands him the wrench, and Henry grins. “Thanks, buddy.” He opens the door and baps the Striker on the head before shutting the door again.   
All he gets in response is a muffled whine. Frowning, Henry opens the door again to find that the Striker is still standing there. “What are you, stupid? I have a weapon and have used it against you, and you’re still just standing there?”  
The spider-like toon just whines again. He stares at it, and then he baps it again and shuts the door, retreating. “Boris, do you know any exits?”   
Boris points at a vent. “Over there.”  
“Thanks.”

As it turned out, the vent led to a boarded-up room with a desk and a small pile of cassette tapes in it. As soon as Henry jumps out of it, he walks over to the pile and picks one up. “What are these?”  
“I don’t know.” Boris answers quietly as he picks one up, checking it for a marking. There is none. He flicks it on, and a voice that neither Henry nor Boris has ever heard before fills the room.  
“I don’t know if anyone’s ever going to hear this, or if it’ll even make any difference, but here I am recording it anyway.” The person on the tape pauses to clear their throat. They sound like they’re about to cry, but they continue on. “I….my name’s Grant Cohen. I was hired about two months ago, in July, as an accountant.”  
Henry looks at Boris, whispering, “That’s why I don’t recognize his voice…that was four months after I left.” Boris shushes him.  
“What Joey’s doing….well, one, he’s spending a heck of a lot of money doing it, which was all I cared about two months ago.” Weak laughter. “Not anymore, I guess. He’s been doing….experiments….on people. Usually just random people, but….I don’t….I’ve been hiding. Can’t go anywhere without him noticing. This damn room seems to get smaller every day.”   
Another pause, this one painfully long. There are loud thumps in the background, as if someone was passing by. “God, he’s so close…” Grant is whispering at this point. “He’ll find me soon. I just…don’t trust Joey Drew. If you find this, I mean. He’s twisted. Man is fucking sick.” Another pause as the thumps get louder and then softer. “Jesus….I think he knows I’m here….” More thumps, and then a creak. Grant starts whispering frantically. “Oh god, he’s here. Don’t, don’t trust him, he’ll kill you, just run.” Then static, and what sounds like Joey laughing.  
The tape ends.  
Henry looks at Boris. “I guess we know what he’s been using now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically I took some words and put them in a text file.  
> ;w;


	3. Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not really screaming if you're going to die.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o o f
> 
>  
> 
> OOPS I DID IT AGAIN

In another world, Henry floats in an ink puddle. He'd heard it described as "a buzzing, screaming well of voices." But the voices he hears aren't screaming at all. In fact, they’re laughing merrily.  
It was, however, pretty loud. He could understand why it could be mistaken for screaming. He doesn’t feel any fear, however.  
He simply feels peace.  
And that is all he feels for the last few minutes of sentient life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry is real ded now
> 
> ;w;


	4. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Susie's not just going to let this go.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops i did it again

In another world, Susie Campbell stands in front of what at first glance appears to be a regular human, but was actually a humanish cartoon. After a few seconds, he speaks. “You shouldn’t have come here.”  
“Wally and I wouldn't let Henry come back here by himself. Everyone else may have been too scared, but seeing you, alive and walking about? I know I made the right choice." Susie narrowed her eyes in determination. "And I'm not leaving you behind a second time. That woman will not hurt you again."  
Dead silence from the cartoon at her feet. Slowly, he shakes his head. "I…I deserved this, alright? It’s my fault all this happened…”  
“No, it’s not!” Susie’s angry now. “None of this is your fault! Don’t you dare blame yourself!” She relaxes for a second before punching the wall. The toon jumps, and she sighs. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. It just makes me so mad.”   
A few more seconds of increasingly awkward silence. The toon fiddles with a loose floorboard, making it squeak in protest. Susie taps her fingers on the wall as she says, “So, how’s life been besides the asshole tied up in the other room, Joey?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> plot twist  
> said 'her' is allison pendle  
> sorta the cartoon nightmares au but not really  
> sorry its short i couldnt think of anything ;w;


	5. Imperfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice faces off with Joey.  
> Prompt from MsFaust

In another world, Alice stands in front of Joey Drew. She shakes her head. “I used to wonder why no one who worked here ever returned," Alice says, ink dripping down her face as she grows to Joey's height. "But now that I see what kind of monster you really are, I finally understand."  
Joey takes a step back. “Monster? You don’t understand. You’re the monster here, Alice. Who do you think had to die for you to exist? You’re not the perfect angel you think you are,” he mocks, smirking. “You’re just like me. Dead inside, yet alive all the same.”  
Alice growls and smacks him. He steps back, a little astonished, but mostly angry. “You dare?”  
“I (air horn) dare.” Alice replies, grabbing the nearest weapon - a wrench - and smacks him with it. He doesn’t budge. Joey nods as if he’s proven something, and then grabs her.  
Alice gasps in surprise, and Joey laughs. “See? See how much more I am? How strong I am?” He smirks at her, and she growls back. “See how imperfect you are?”  
Joey drops Alice on the ground and walks away, saying over his back, “Come face me when you’re actually ready.”  
Alice stares at the floor for a little before getting up. _I will beat him. I will be perfect. I must be perfect. Then they will come and save us….before Joey does anything more._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof


	6. Imperfect Alternate Ending thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice faces off with Joey Drew. Or one version of him, at least.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

In another world, Alice stands in front of Joey Drew. She shakes her head. “I used to wonder why no one who worked here ever returned," Alice says, ink dripping down her face as she grows to Joey's height. "But now that I see what kind of monster you really are, I finally understand."  
Joey stares at her in confusion. “I have no idea what you’re talking about?? Also where the heck is this?”  
Alice stares back, equally confused, before she sighs. “Gosh darn it. (Car horn) these multiverse holes…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops i did it again


	7. Mama Bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice and Susie have an unusual relationship, considering they've just met.

In another world, Susie and Henry stand in front of Boris and Alice. Up until yesterday, Alice had very little experience with actual humans, since Joey was the only one present in the old studio. But as Henry removes the straps holding Boris to the table, Susie proceeds to demonstrate that the phrase 'mama bear' can apply to human women as well.  
“He did WHAT NOW??” The screech echos through the halls, making Alice cringe. “When I find that man, I am going to rip him apart, never you fucking mind that he’s possibly turned himself into an immortal toon. I don’t give a fuck if he turned himself into a god. I WILL BE THE PERSON THAT KILLS A GOD IF THAT’S THE FUCKING CASE.”  
Alice raises her hand. Susie pats her on the head, causing the halo to slip a little. “You don’t need to raise your hand.”  
“Uh, you…you realize that not only has he turned…turned himself into a toon, but he fused himself with Bendy, right…?” Susie looks taken aback for a second. Then she punches the wall and swears very loudly. “Fucking motherfucker is gonna fucking die, I don’t give a fucking shit whether it’s fucking impossible or not!”  
Alice sighs. “I’m going to take that as a no.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o o f  
> semi-cheerful for a change


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry's always seen the angel, but he's never seen it like this.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is SUPPOSEDLY set in the Liquid verse, but I got bored and mashed both a lot of chapter 2 and a little bit of chapter 3 of this story in. HOWEVER, the safety list of MsFaust is still respected, and Grant's not actually dead in this. Just strung up from the ceiling because JOEY IS A PRICK.

In another world, a Searcher crawls out of the ink, humming merrily. It was a little tricky without proper vocal cords, but Henry managed it well. He wasn’t sure how, exactly, this had happened - one minute he was running on firm ground, trying to get away from “Bendy”, and then he’d slipped. Next thing he knew, this happened. It wasn’t that bad, though. For example, he definitely had people to talk to now, and he could keep track of where “Bendy” was.   
However, he could also see the aftermath of Joey’s other experiments. Cages littered one end of the studio; another end hosted a wide variety of creatures, from mutilated Butcher Gang clones to clones of workers. The basement was home to many lumps of mysteriously cage-shaped lumps and a strange creature with a projector for a head.   
The worst scene, however, was the angel. (Well, he’s pretty sure it’s an angel. It might be a bird.) It’s strung up by its wings in one of the rooms, and it’s (he’s?) still alive. Henry can hear him crying sometimes. Mostly he’s silent. It makes Henry so sad. Joey had to ruin everything. Sure, he didn’t ruin it the way he wanted to, but he ruined it anyway.  
As he makes his way through the studio, he looks at all the cages. Dead clones and experiments fill them, a few dripping ink on the floor with splashing sounds. Ink pools at the bottom of most of the cages, though some have been dead for so long that the ink has mostly dried up.   
Henry sighs and continues making his way through the studio. As he passes the room with the angel, he hears whimpering. The angel is especially upset today. He decides to stop by, just to see if anything’s changed.  
Something has changed. Ink is pooling all over the floor from one of the angel’s wings. The wing is ripped off its nail, and the angel is struggling to stem the flow of ink. As he does, he whines, trying to free the other wing; it’s pretty clear he ripped the first one off the nail on purpose.   
Henry looks up before sighing and melting into the ink. There’s nothing he can do.

Grant watches the Searcher disappear. He swears it’s the same one as yesterday.   
He attempts to get the other wing down, letting out another whine. _I have to get free…._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. Poor Grant. That's gotta hurt.  
> On the other hand, Henry's not dead anymore!


	9. Spared to Adventure Another Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice and Bendy have a conversation that doesn't end with screaming. Henry and Boris are bemused.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. The amount of time it took to write this...  
> On the other hand, at least I was able to!

In another world, Henry and Boris watch as Bendy clasps Alice's arm. She tries to pull away, but he just grins.  
"Forget about them, Alice," he says, his voice echoing. "I think Joey's insides will do a much better job of making you beautiful."  
After a moment, she grins wickedly.  
"You're right. After all he did to the three of us, he deserves to suffer."  
"Our Creator lied to us. Now he will reap what he has sown."  
"And he will suffer for a long time before he dies," Alice agrees. "He got the demons he wanted..."  
Henry and Boris exchange a quick glance before looking back at the former mortal enemies. Alice and Bendy walk away slowly, Alice quietly shooting them a hateful glare over her shoulder. Henry shivers and whispers, “I’m fairly glad we got out of that situation, but that still leaves the question of what the fuck just happened?” His gaze flicks between the two toons. Boris shrugs, his dog vocal cords not able to fully express any of his confusion, at all, whatsoever. Henry sighs, crossing his fingers. “Let’s just hope they left for good.”  
Boris gives him a _look_. Henry puts his hands up in surrender, laughing. “Okay, maybe not for good, but let’s hope they’re not murderous when they come back…”  
This one-sided banter continues as they slowly make their way to the safe room to plot out their next endeavor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O O F  
> I'm not a fan of this, but it's cheery...er...


	10. A Happy Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A happy reunion takes place by a campfire.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

In another world, a happy group of people sit around a smallish campfire. The sun is setting on the horizon, basking the entire thing in a rosy red glow. Humans, Toons, and monsters mingle, though the monsters steer clear of the fire.  
Henry is chatting with Susie, Alice sitting beside him as she munches on a smore. "I actually thought they really were you guys, especially in Alice's case. She's as good an actress as you and Allison."  
"You should have seen his face when he first saw me," Alice laughs. “He honestly thought I was you! I almost couldn’t believe it!”  
Susie laughs as well, quietly taking the opportunity to visualize what that looked like. “Well, you are a talented little angel.” She pats Alice on the head, causing the Toon to giggle. “I wish I’d been there, honestly. Even if it was only to see his face. I bet you got a laugh out of that.”  
Alice nods, going back to her smore. She looks around.  
On the right side,Norman and Allison are having some kind of very quiet conversation about the studio, and Bendy and Boris are roasting marshmallows and other assorted sweets over the campfire. Jack and Johnny are on the opposite side of the campfire and apparently trying to beat out Bendy for sheer sweet consumption, and Sammy is watching them with a vaguely amused expression. In between them, a few monsters are mingling with the Butcher Gang, watching the going-ons with interest. _The skeleton from one of the cartoons is there as well,_ Alice notes with some amusement. _I wonder why Joey brought them to life, out of all people._  
Over on the left side, right behind Jack and Johnny, Shawn and Grant are having a very loud, very heavily accented argument about something that nobody but them knows, because currently only they can understand each other. At random intervals, Shawn starts yelling in Gaelic, and Grant answers like he knows exactly what he’s saying. Alice shakes her head as she watches. She turns back to her smore.  
And so, the mostly happy group besides the two that are arguing very loudly in two different languages sit by a campfire as the sun sets, and the curtain closes slowly on this happy ending.  
Well, the metaphorical curtain, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got way off track. But it's happy and I like it.  
> dat bendy do- bendy stop challenging random people to have eating-sweets contests with you


	11. Black Out: OMAKES aka Bloopers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bloopers from Black Out.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof enjoy

In another world….  
\-----TAKE ONE, CHAPTER 1-----  
A small demon is curled at the foot of a large, black-ish figure. He looks up, tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.  
A small silence.  
The demon facepalms. “Um, line please….”  
The dark figure sighs in exasperation, letting the black ooze drip off. “You need to memorize your lines better. I remembered all of mine, and you had all of two lines to memorize for this scene. Two lines!”

\-----TAKE ONE, CHAPTER 2-----

“Hear me, Bendy! Arise from the darkness! Arise and-” Sammy breaks off into laughter. Bendy gives him a look, and he rubs the back of his head sheepishly and says, “Listen, it was inevitable that that would happen...the lines are just so ridiculous!”

\-----TAKE TWO, CHAPTER 2-----

Sammy’s no-longer-inky head breaks the surface of the ink.   
“Uwah!”   
He turns sharply and immediately dips below the ink again, surfacing a few seconds later. “God damn it!” As he struggles to actually do what the script wants him to do in the rapids of the ink, Bendy stifles a laugh. After all, it wasn’t nice to laugh at other people’s troubles.  
Still, it was hilarious.

\-----TAKE ONE, CHAPTER 3-----

A brilliant flash of light fills the room. The Projectionist lets out a roar of agony, holding up its hands as if to shield itself. At the same time, Henry feels himself lifted up by an invisible force, and carried through the air. He’s promptly dropped. “Ow!”  
Susie runs over to Henry, frantically checking him for injuries. “Are you okay?”  
The Projectionist shakes his head and clears his ‘throat’ (speaker). “I believe he’ll be fine.”  
“Shut up, Echo. You don’t know that! He could be dying, for all you know,” Susie spits out. “You know jack shit about humans!”  
“Susie, I’m fine…” Henry laughs. “Also, we’re way off script here.”  
“Hey! It’s not my fault that idiot’s loud!” Susie points at Echo, who raises his hands in defense. “I don’t mean to be loud! I just...am!”  
Off in the corner, an unamused Jack signals to Joey, who turns off the cameras.

\-----TAKE TWO, CHAPTER 3-----

"There, there, Allison." Susie holds the disfigured woman as she sobs. "It's OK, it's OK. We'll fix this."   
"Wh-why are you helping me?" Allison bawls. "I-I….I….wait, what did I do in this?”  
Henry facepalms from where he’s standing. “Why does everyone either forget their lines, mess them up somehow, or end up nearly dead?”  
“I don’t know, maybe because the script calls for incredibly dangerous stunts. Just a theory. You know. For future reference,” Sammy pointedly glances over at the recording booth. “JOEY.”

\-----TAKE ONE, CHAPTER 4-----

“For the love of god, would you leave me alone?!” The former janitor scrambles to get away from the Butcher Gang. Unfortunately, Charley takes this as a personal insult and Edgar takes it as a sign that Wally hates him, causing the former to start swearing very loudly and very heavily in Gaelic and the latter to start crying hysterically.   
Wally and Barley stand awkwardly as this entire scene plays out. Wally eventually say, “You guys realize Joey wrote this into the script, right? I meant no offense.”  
Charley immediately turns his swearing on Joey. Edgar keeps crying.   
Wally sighs. “Well, this was a failure…”  
(Later, Barley asked Charley where he learned Gaelic. His response was “From Shawn. He only taught me the swears, though.” Henry overheard this and told Shawn to stop teaching the cartoons how to swear in foreign languages.)

\-----TAKE TWO, CHAPTER 4-----

Letting out a sigh of relief, Wally slumps against the wall, next to the writing on the wall. He still has no idea who wrote it, but he guesses it was one of the Toons. After all, Joey was the one who brought them into reality, and thus their creator.  
As he resumes normal size, he notices an unexpected smell in the room--the smell of smoke.  
 _Oh crap, I really hope that's not from something catching fire. That's the last thing I need right now._  
He follows the smell towards the room connecting the basement to Utility Shaft 9. Or, well, where there used to be a room. To his shock, surprise, and general horror, the room is on fire. “Shit!”  
He can barely see through the cloud of smoke, but it looks like one of the candles fell on the ink, catching it. Whatever Joey put in that ink, it was really flammable. Out of the smokey room, some more smoke comes, and forms the shape of a human, gradually becoming more solid.  
Thomas turns and looks at the room. “Well, there goes that….good thing it was just made of cardboard, or Joey’d have our heads.”  
“He might still have them,” Wally says, looking despondent. “I left his phone in there.” Thomas gives him a look, and he elaborates. “He let me borrow it to take a picture. Forgot to give it back.”  
“Well, he ain’t getting it back now.”

\-----TAKE ONE, CHAPTER 5-----

A thought strikes Shawn. Closing his eyes, he forms a mental picture of a small bird in his mind. He begins to change.  
Shawn shifts into a rather large version of the bird and swears loudly in Gaelic. Henry gives him a look, and he switches back to English swears. “Fuck! I meant to do the small bird, I swear!”  
“Uh-huh. Just stop swearing in Gaelic, please. We all know that’s what you’re doing.”

\-----TAKE TWO, CHAPTER 5-----

Grant ran over and scooped up the pint-sized janitor.  
"Wally? Are you all right?"  
"I will be once we're safe," Wally said. He looked over at the fight. "Where'd the elephant come from?"  
Shawn shifts back into a human. “YES! LIKE A BOSS!” He pumps his fist into the air multiple times. Grant and Wally stare at him for a few seconds before Wally quietly raises his hand. Shawn looks at him. “Yes, Wally?”  
“I’m pretty sure we have to redo that take….”  
“What? Why?” Shawn tilts his head in a way very reminiscent of a dog. Wally sighs. “Because you celebrated too early and messed it up.”  
Shawn swears in Gaelic again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun with this. Lots of fun. If you're wondering why everyone swears in Gaelic but I never write down the gaelic swear words, it's because A, I'm lazy, and B, I don't want to accidentally offend anyone.  
> o o f


	12. The Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry's the last of the old-timers.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

In another world, a group of three people are gathered around a figure whose slumped on the floor. A circle of candles lights the area around them, revealing old floorboards and ink splatters. Norman lets out a sigh, carefully striking another match and relighting a candle that went out. "Henry's the last remainin’ member of what we call 'the old crowd'--the folks who were workin’ at the studio in its golden age," explains Norman. "Youngest of 'em, too--he's barely older than me."  
"And he's the only one of them who ain't missing or dead," adds Johnny, looking at the matchbox suspiciously. “Norman, are you sure that matchbox is safe?”  
“‘Course it is,” Norman states, almost in a monotone. “Ain’t no matches outside of it, are there? They aren’t strike-anywhere matches, either.” Johnny nods, satisfied. He glances just beyond the circle, checking to make sure no monsters have crept up on them. Thankfully, none have.  
Sammy pokes Henry experimentally. Norman gives him a look, and he slinks back to his spot in the circle, mumbling, “I was just curious….”

It takes another hour for anything to happen. Said ‘anything’ happens to be loud screeching, which causes everyone (excluding the still-unconscious Henry) to jump before freezing. A tall, wirey figure stands behind Norman, a projector where its head would be and wires extending down and into its back. It makes the screeching noise again, and Johnny hides behind Sammy, who brandishes an axe threateningly, despite the fact that he has no idea how to properly handle an axe. It’s very clear that the thing isn’t the least bit concerned, instead bodily picking up Henry and Norman. Norman yelps and attempts to grab the matchbox, failing miserably.   
As it walks away, Sammy tries to chase it, tripping on one of the candles. He falls to the ground, knocking over the candle. “Ow!”   
The candle lights some of the ink on the ground on fire, and both men scramble back. Johnny grabs the axe from Sammy and starts desperately hitting the fire. He succeeds in both putting it out and making a nice hole in the floor.  
Sammy slumps against the wall. “This is a disaster in the purest sense of the term.”

In another part of the studio, the Projectionist (as Norman has dubbed it in his head) sets the two males down. Norman attempts to get up again, only to be pushed down. The Projectionist shrieks at him, and this time, he stays down. Not worth the trouble.   
Henry stirs. “Mhm? What happened? Where’s this?” He sits up, and promptly gets shrieked at by the Projectionist. Giving it a look, he remarks, “Geez, loud much, Echo?”  
“Echo?” Norman asks, giving Henry a confused look. Henry laughs. “Yeah, his name’s Echo. Think he was a bit concerned about me,” he says, grinning at a very confused Norman. “By the way, do you know what happened?”  
“You fell, I guess. The three of us found you on the ground outside the Angel’s room,” Norman answers. “Dragged you as far as we could, but we couldn’t get very far. Monsters kept attackin’ us, and, well, Sammy ain’t that strong. Never tell ‘im I said that, though.”  
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Henry laughs before pausing. “Wait, the three of you? I didn’t know there was another person with you two.”  
“Yeah, it’s Johnny. Sammy’s brother, apparently. The two of ‘em used to work here,” Norman says, glancing warily at Echo as the monster stares intently at the two of them. “Sammy was the music director and Johnny was the organist.”  
Henry blinks, clearly just as confused as Norman was a few seconds ago. He asks, “Sammy has a brother?”  
“I just said that.”  
“Well, I’m sorry.” Henry sounds sincere. “I was just confirming. Didn’t think Sammy had a brother. He never mentioned him, anyway.”  
“Sammy doesn’t mention a lot of things.” Norman glares at Echo. “His brother’s the same way. Doesn’t mention anythin’, least of all anythin’ important.”  
Echo shrieks again. Henry and Norman cover their ears.   
And then the door breaks off the hinges. Sammy has found a wrench, apparently, and also believes a wrench is a suitable weapon. He points it at Echo. “En garde!”  
Henry sighs. “Oh brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> plot twist


	13. Victims

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice has been very, very busy with the cartoons while everyone's been leaving.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edge

In another world, Henry stands in front of Alice Angel. She’s reverted to her normal size and shape, but she keeps the vaguely sinister grin.  
Henry sighs, wringing his hands. “Alice...Why did you do this? Why did you do these things,” he gestures to the area around them, “to the studio?”  
"Truth is, I was tired of being Joey's perfect angel," Alice says. "Deep down, I wanted to be a bad girl. And after everybody left for greener pastures, and it was just Joey and us spawn of the Machine, I saw my chance." She laughs, twirling the axe around. It comes dangerously close to Henry’s face. “‘Sides, not like there’s much else to do, right?”  
"I let the demon think he was in charge for a while. Experimented on his enemies. He didn't have a problem with it until I started with Edgar," she says, carefully patting the axe. "Apparently Mr. Big Tough and Strong has a soft spot for a certain hungry spider. Not my problem. I went on with my day and got them both the next."  
"Boris and that projectionist thing were probably the hardest. The wolf just wouldn't sit still when I was putting him in the machinery, and it's really hard to bring a projector to life. The rest," she sweeps her arms in a grand, dramatic fashion, showing the studio. "is all Joey. He's a, well, how do I say this without censoring...a really big son of a female dog."  
"A few people were stupid enough to come back. Murray, for one. I'll be damned if that idiot wasn't the stupidest person on the planet. He's that stupid Prophet person. Deluded himself into thinking he was Sammy. Hah, as if....Sammy was much better at singing, for one." She laughs again, a cold, cruel sound. "And you can't exactly put me at fault for that Jack man; he literally threw himself into the ink machine. As for Joey...." A grin. "He got what was coming."  
She laughs once more, the side of her face melting. “And you, Creator? You're my next victim."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then Henry ran away, away, away out the door back to his wife. The end, BATIM's over, everybody go home-
> 
> But seriously though, he ran away.


	14. Not Just Animals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The toons aren't humans.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

In another world, Alice and Bendy sit in Joey’s office, the former quietly reading a magazine and the latter loudly proclaiming that’s he’s bored.  
“JOEY! I’m bored! Can I draw?” Bendy gets up and then flings himself back onto the couch with a very dramatic sigh. “JOOOOEEEEEYYYYY…..”  
Joey turns around with a vaguely unamused look on his face. “Quiet down, please. I’m trying to keep you a secret so that I can surprise Henry.”  
Boris pokes his head out from under the desk. “Bork.” Joey pats him, saying, “Good boy.” Boris grins a dog grin and goes back under the desk. Bendy, who had paused to watch this exchange, resumed his complaining. “But I’m BORED! Can’t I do something? Pleeeeaaaase, Joey? Alice is hoggin’ the magazine and there’s nothing else to doooo….”  
“Fine! Here! Take this! Just stop complaining so loudly!” Joey throws a sheet of paper in Bendy’s vague direction. Satisfied, the little devil picks it up and begins folding it into a paper airplane.

_(Later, Joey showed Henry the toons. He was incredibly happy.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not quite obvious, but they're made from animals. :> Henry is very happy and this is pure fluff oh my god
> 
>  
> 
> Bendy why are you such a whiny child


	15. Loophole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A demon finds a loophole.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had fun

In another world, Joey and a demon stand face to face.   
"I have one caveat," Joey says. "The studio employees and toy factory workers are not to be used. At all."  
Maruc nods, deciding not to mention that Joey hadn't said anything about the amusement park staff. “It’s a deal, then.”  
Joey nods in agreement, watching the demon fade away. Too late, he remembers the amusement park employees. “Oh well...let’s just hope they consider them studio employees….”

****

Meanwhile, at the soon-to-be-an-amusement park, a small group of workers are taking a lunch break. Meanwhile, ~~Bertie~~ Bertrum is ranting about Joey.  
Again.  
It’s the third time today. All the workers are fed up. The guy who works the jackhammer is very, very glad for the earplugs.  
None of them notice the demon hovering behind them until it picks up said jackhammer worker (whose name is Jake, though it doesn’t really matter - it’s simply for reference). They then abruptly notice the demon and start running away while screeching. Bertrum seems to not notice this fact, too focused on ranting about Joey to notice that his audience has become much, much smaller.  
Well, he doesn’t notice for a short period of time. This one-minute interval is enough time for the demon to slit Jake’s throat (nearly slicing his head clean off) and grab Bertrum. This is also when Bertrum notices that, hey, everyone ran away, what’s up with that?

The two stare at each other for a good long second. Bertrum clears his throat. “Er...so, what are you doing here?”  
“Killing people.” Maruc doesn’t wait for this to set in. Instead, they slam Bertrum into a wall with a sickening crunch. Then they do it again, and again, until they’re certain Bertrum is never getting up again. They discard him absentmindedly, commenting to themself, “He’ll make a good Charley, I suppose….wonder what I’ll do with the other one.”

****

In one of the janitor’s closets, Lacie and a worker named Robert (we’ll call him Bob) hide behind some of the cleaning tools. It’s not the BEST hiding spot, but it’s better than running far, far away, because then they couldn’t get their paychecks.  
Also, it would take too long.  
Lacie stiffens as she hears footsteps. The door creaks open, a shadow looming over them, stretching over the closet…

Wally blinks. “What the?- What are ya doin’ in here? You’re not makin’ out, are ya? I’ve had enough of that in here. It’s my closet!”  
“No, we’re not making out.” Lacie says, rolling her eyes. “I feel no physical attraction to the idiot beside me. He can’t even use a hammer right.” Bob punches her. Lacie shows no sign of even feeling it. “As it so happens, we’re hiding from a demon that wants our heads. He took Jake.”  
Wally sighs, rubbing his forehead. “It’s probably Joey. Again. Last time this happened, we lost an intern to a demon. The next day we found a dead spider-thing in a pool of ink.” He leans on the wall as he says this. “Never did find out where the intern went.”  
“That wasn’t helpful, Wally.” Bob speaks up this time. “I think it made things worse.”  
Wally climbs into the closet, carefully stepping over a fallen bucket. “Well, it isn’t my fault she can’t handle demons. They come with th’job.” He closes the door behind him. “Last demon got blackmailed by Norman for about three days. Turned out Joey forgot ta specify that interns are workers too. He probably made another mistake like that, maybe forgot to add amusement park workers ta the deal.”  
“Well, that’s kind of important!” Lacie is yelling now. “I need my life! I want a new job! Maybe one that isn’t me working with a team of imbeciles and stuck-up narcissists!” Bob gives her a weird look and asks, “Narcissists?”  
“Bertrum.” Wally answers for her. “I know cause he keeps bargin’ into rooms. Acts like he’s better than everyone else.” He pauses for a second before saying, “Heard him cussin’ out Norman the other day. Somethin’ bout the projector not workin’ right? I dunno what he was talkin’ about, Norman keeps those things in perfect condition...”  
“It’s just Bertie being Bertie,” Lacie says, pushing over a bottle of soap to make room for herself. “Like I said, he’s a stuck-up narcissist. And he can’t hold a screwdriver to save his life.”  
The door slams open, shocking the three. In the doorway, the actual demon stands. Wally grabs a broom and stands up. “Hey! We were havin’ a conversation here!”  
“I’ve come for the amusement park workers,” Maruc states, their voice almost (but not quite) monotone. “Which one is it?”  
Both Wally and Lacie point to Bob, who holds his hands up. “Meep.”  
Confused, Maruc points at Lacie. “Who’re you, then?” Wally quickly pulls her over and says, “She’s, uh, a maintenance worker. Like Thomas. Keeps th’pipes runnin’.” Lacie nods silently, trying her best to not screech and flee again.  
The demon considers this. “Well, that would make sense, considering she’s the only one who knows how to properly use any of the tools….but what was she doing down in the amusement park then?”  
“One of the pipes broke. Thomas was busy with one upstairs, so I went down there to fix it. Then I got hungry, so I endured Bertie’s rant so that I could eat my sandwich.” Lacie answers. “Speaking of which….did you ruin it?”  
“Maybe,” Maruc says. “It might have gotten some blood on it. I don’t know. Anyway…” Reaching out, they grab Bob. “I have to go sacrifice this fucker now. Seeya!”  
And with that, they’re gone.   
Wally and Lacie let out simultaneous sighs of relief before Lacie turns to Wally. “Say, do you think Joey would let me actually be a maintenance worker?”  
“Probably. Thomas can’t do all the work himself, so…”

****

A good while later, there’s a lot of blood on the floor of Level 14. Maruc had found the last of the amusement park workers there; they’d hoped Norman would protect them.  
Norman did not protect them. There was no way he was going to stand up to a demon. That was a surefire way to die.  
Brushing off their hands, Maruc stands up. “Well, that should be all the soul power I need. I will take my leave now.” Norman watches as the demon fades away, vaguely concerned about what, exactly, needs soul power. He’s not that curious, though. No need to get killed.

****  
Another six to seven business days later, Joey receives a box of failed attempts plus two successes. While the box holds many corpses, it also holds a real, living Charley and a real, living Edgar.  
Joey carefully picks Edgar up, avoiding touching Charley at all costs. “Well, I suppose that was worth it.”  
He pauses. “I wonder why all the amusement park staff disappeared.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Joey is a clueless idiot.  
> Lacie did end up getting that job, though. Thomas vouched for her because while he's overworked and grumpy, he understands the need for another person to fix the pipes because...well....he's overworked and grumpy.
> 
> Meanwhile, Grant was, for once, not annoyed with Joey. Or at least he's not after Joey gives Edgar to him for safekeeping. ~~He'll never admit it but he really loves the character~~


	16. Loophole omake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey finds out what happened to the park staff.  
> Not a prompt. This just came to mind.

In another world, Joey stands in front of a demon. He’s clearly fuming. “I told you not to harm the studio employees!”  
“They weren’t studio employees! They were the park staff! Besides, it’s not like it WORKED,” Maruc huffs. “The only one that worked was the complainy guy. He got turned into Charley.”  
“Then what about Edgar? How’d HE get brought to life?” Joey challenges.  
“A spider fell into my pentagram.” The demon scowls. “Believe me, I wasn’t intending to bring that creepy fucker to life. I hate spiders. With all of my being.”  
Maruc is promptly hit with a tax book. They rub the back of their head. “Hey!”  
“You will NEVER insult Edgar again. Or I will rip you apart!” Grant yells from just outside of the room.  
“Oh, yeah? You and what army, pipsqueak?”  
“I don’t need an army, I have Sammy.” Grant sticks his tongue out and ducks back behind the wall. Maruc sighs. “Why do you even run a studio if you’re just going to hire idiots?”  
“Grant’s not an idiot, he’s the only one who understands how the tax system runs, therefore he is God. Also, most of the staff isn’t idiots,” Joey replies, still angry. “It was just most of the park staff. And also Allison sometimes.”  
“Okay, let me rephrase that…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> grant's very protective of his spider  
> Also, Joey's not evil. Just misguided and bad at writing contracts.


	17. In Which A Broom Can Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally's clone was unusual, to say the least.  
> Prompt from MsFaust that went very wonky both in my head and on paper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh noes

In another world, Henry stands with a very confused Grant, who states, “So the clones of Susie and Allison became the two Alices, and Thomas's clone became Boris, but what about Wally's clone?"  
Henry sighs in a resigned manner. “Well...it’s a long story. One that is just as confusing as the one I just told you….”  
“Please tell me it’s not what I think.” Grant looks very worried.  
“Probably it isn’t, just because it’s so bizarre. You see, when I found out what it became, I was….”  
~~  
Henry walks down the hallway, glancing left and right and holding his newly-regained axe with both hands. To himself, he says, “I really missed this thing.”  
He passes by a janitor closet, one of many in the building. Two seconds after he does, his brain registers that the closet was open, and he walks backwards and looks into the closet. Inside is a very large, very colorful broom (he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed colors until now), and a bottle of something called WD-NoSquee.  
All in all, it looked like a typical janitor’s closet, except for the fact that he had no idea what WD-NoSquee was and he knows dang well it wasn’t there before.  
He goes to get the bottle out of curiosity, and bumps the broom, which promptly shouts (much to Henry’s surprise) “GOTTA SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP!”  
Henry high-tails it out of there.

About ten minutes later, he hears the broom again. “IT’S SWEEPIN TIME!” Automatically, he takes cover under a desk. That doesn’t stop the broom from sweeping up literally everything in its path, including Henry and a few searchers.  
That’s when he realized the broom had eyes and a suspiciously New-Yorky accent.   
~~  
“....so I interrogated it afterwards and yeah….Wally’s clone became a literal talking broom.”  
Grant stares at Henry. “What.”  
“Kind of weird, isn’t it?”  
“‘Kind of’ doesn’t describe this situation in the _least_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> G O T T A S W E E P S W E E P S W E E P


	18. Meanwhile, Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look at what's happening outside the studio while one iteration of Henry is inside.
> 
> Prompt and basis from MsFaust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, this is set in the present - Henry is a major procrastinator, and also feels no need to hurry when it comes to Joey.  
> Secondly, yes, this is based off of [this part](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14280120) (small warning for hints of nsfw in there, I guess?? It's not big). It's pretty different, but largely the same in that everyone's immortal.

In another world, while Henry is inside the studio, old friends are outside.   
Somewhat literally, in one case.  
“How long should we not-at-all creepily loiter outside waiting for him to come out before it becomes appropriate to barge in?” The person asking this is Shawn Flynn. He’s standing with one Thomas Connor. He is also holding a flamethrower.  
“Well, probably never, considering the studio is highly flammable,” Thomas says pointedly. “Maybe put the flamethrower down first.”  
“But what if I have to set fire to the entire studio?”  
“Shawn, I think you’ve been playing too many video games.”  
Shawn shakes his head vehemently. “There is no such thing as being too prepared, Thomas.”  
“There really is.” Thomas attempts to take away the flamethrower. Shawn moves it away from him. “Just give me the flamethrower so that we don’t catch anything on fire. I would really like to _not_ get arrested today.”  
“I will not give you the flamethrower!” Shawn moves away from Thomas, cradling the flamethrower like a child. “It is for safety purposes that I keep it with me!”  
“And it’s for safety purposes that I take it away from you! Do you not remember the Halloween party?”   
“Thomas, I was drunk.”  
“Shawn, no offense, but you are almost always drunk.” Thomas deadpans. Shawn frowns. “I’m not _always_ drunk. Just sometimes. Maybe like three times a week.”  
“That’s almost always.”  
“No it’s not!”  
This conversation continues for a good long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so much fun to write and totally not inspired by a certain famous/infamous indie game no siree
> 
> Reckless Shawn is best Shawn and you will never convince me otherwise, just like you will never convince me that ~~_Sayori is not best girl_~~.
> 
> And yes, technically, this is the Meanwhile, On the Outside multiverse group. And yes, Grant is the one that ends up being tasked to drag them away from the studio in the end, mainly because no one else is quite certain they're not going to get flamethrowered by Shawn.


	19. Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice has come back from the dead. Henry is surprised and curious.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here we go!

**In another world,** as a bacon soup can rolls out from behind a wall, Henry holds his breath. He’s expecting a monster to come out. It is not a monster that comes out.

Henry blinks in surprise as Alice Angel emerges from around the corner, a shy smile on her face. The memory of her corpse - strapped to a table with her arms spread out like she was being crucified, her chest cut open, and several organs missing - flashes through his mind. He remembered thinking how horrified Susie would have been if she were there. After all, even though she'd moved on to bigger and better things, the angel still had a place in her heart.

He blinks again, just to make sure this isn’t a hallucination from too much 30-year-old bacon soup. “...Alice?”

The multiple head wounds, various scratches, and overall shock catch up to him. He blacks out.

 

~~

 

When Henry wakes up, he’s in a hammock. This on its own would not be alarming, but Alice is pretty much hovering over him. He blinks rapidly, then pushes her away gently. “Please don’t do that. It’s creepy. No offense.” Alice nods and carefully backs away. 

After a few moments like this, Henry attempts the get out of the hammock. He ends up falling out, landing with a loud thump and a semi-loud ‘oof’ noise. Alice makes a vague sound of surprise and steps backward a bit, stumbling over a crate and landing on the floor. The crate topples over on top of Henry, who is already a bit stuck and didn’t need a crate on top of everything else.

“Well, this is just great, isn’t it,” he groans, shoving some of the items off of him. “How did this happen?”

Alice gives no answer.

 

~~

 

Later on, as the two wander around looking for the elevator that Henry  _ swears  _ was there two minutes ago, he realizes something. “You haven’t said a word this entire time, Alice.”

Alice shrugs. That is all the answer he gets from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I left it there because I couldn't think of a satisfactory way to end it.


	20. Overwatch vs Warcraft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey starts an ill-advised war among the office.  
> (Prompt from MsFaust)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was written by someone who literally knows nothing about Overwatch and only a little bit about World of Warcraft but it was too good to pass up  
> this is set in the present, which is why adele exists and overwatch exists and why everyone is playing irl overwatch apparently but not really it's more giant battle of the fandoms

**In another world,** in the aftermath of Henry yelling at Joey for making a Bad Decision (again), everyone is now doing the Bad Decision, with relish. Including Henry. Although Henry is only doing it because he’s being forced to.

Which is to say they are having a huge Nerf battle in the middle of the office when they’re two days away from a deadline. And also Wally, Susie, Allison, and Shawn are decked out in full Overwatch gear (complete with ‘coms’ which are just walkie-talkies that they decorated to look cool), and are attempting to get Sammy to do the same by annoying him. It’s not working.

“I’m not gonna wear the stupid costume!”

“But Saaaammmmyyyyy…” Wally stretches the word a very long way. Sammy just glares at him, so he tries again. “Sam-Sam, please? For me?”   
“I’m not gonna do anything for you. You lose your keys every other day and then bother me about them until I find them for you.”

“But you find them for me!”

“I’m not getting in the costume!”

 

~~~~

 

It is now a little bit into the game. Almost everyone is separated into teams, with all of the Overwatch people on one and all of the World of Warcraft people on the other. The people who don’t play either game (read: just Jack and Murray) are loners and are allowed to shoot anyone they want. Sammy is now in costume, much to his chagrin, and the fight is now a full-on war, complete with Sammy getting hit by Nerf bullets every two seconds. He may be fast, but his tallness is making it hard to take cover, and he’s also having trouble doing anything with his Nerf gun because he can’t pull it back all the way. About the only redeeming values of his right now is the fact that he’s very skinny (harder to hit while moving) and he’s very, very good at aiming when he can actually pull the damn thingy back.

He’s pretty much a very tall stringbean with arms that are also stringbeans. A fast stringbean, but a stringbean nonetheless.

Currently, Sammy is attempting to use a plant as ammo. As soon as he picks it up, another Nerf dart hits him. He throws the plant at the shooter, who ducks behind a chair. The plant gets dirt everywhere, and the pot shatters on impact, getting more dirt all over the shooter.

Sammy grins, thinking he must have hit the shooter. Then he immediately regrets throwing the plant as an annoyed Henry, who is armed with many Nerf darts and some pot shards, gets up from behind the chair.

Sammy raises his hands into the air. “Truce?”

“Fat fucking chance. You threw a potted plant at me.”

Ten seconds later, the few people who are still loitering by the room are shocked when Sammy comes barreling out of the room with two guns instead of one and a very angry Henry right behind him.

 

~~~~

 

In another room, Susie is on top of the refrigerator, aiming her ‘sniper rifle’ (which is just a modified Nerf gun) at Joey. Joey is completely oblivious to his surroundings and is just grabbing all the cookies out from the cabinet.

Her aim isn’t off at all for the first three. Then she knocks a cookie out of his hand. Joey is not amused. Susie is very amused and proceeds to knock all the cookies out of his hands and onto the floor. While he’s trying to pick them up, Susie jumps off the fridge and grabs him by the collar, laughing like a madwoman. “You’re our prisoner now, Warcraft scum.”

“Why me…”

 

~~~~

 

Two hours later, both teams have taken many prisoners (Henry, Norman and Thomas from the Warcraft team, and Wally, Sammy (unsurprisingly) and Grant from the Overwatch team) and said prisoners are very salty about it.

 

In the Overwatch prison, Thomas suggested tunneling through the floor, but Henry said no, that would cause property damage that Grant would have to find a way to pay for. That shut him up quickly. It did not, however, shut Joey up. Joey continued to spout ill-advised escape ideas, and Henry continued to shoot them down.

 

Meanwhile, in the Warcraft prison, Grant has just found out that they forgot to cover the vents. The vents are probably big enough for him to go through, but not enough for Wally or Sammy, so he turns to them awkwardly. “I just found a gap in the defense, but only I can go through it.”

“It’s the vents.” Sammy answers without even looking up from his scratching the floor with a pen. 

“Yes. It’s the vents.”

“Well, go on then. Go through and get Susie to come save us.”

And that is how Grant ended up getting stuck in the vents and Susie had to go save him by completely breaking the vents.

 

~~~~

 

Susie is singing over the ‘coms’. 

Shawn is really starting to get annoyed now. Susie is supposed to be saving their teammates, not singing about love or some shit like that to an animator. Allison, on the other hand, is laughing her ass off. Apparently she finds this extremely funny. Well, no more.

“Susie, what the fuck are you doing?” he asks, not even trying to hide his annoyance. “Get your butt over to the other side’s prison.”

Allison is the one who answers. “She’s singing. Let her live.”

 

~~~~

 

The moment Sammy is let loose is the moment he makes a beeline for the coffee machine. He just had the most terrible idea and there is no way he is not going to use this idea.

Once he gets to the coffee machine, he steals all of the K-Cups. Then he steals the coffee machine, just for good measure. He dumps it all back at “camp” (actually just a meeting room with a hastily-written note claiming it as theirs) and heads straight for Wally’s closet to get some bleach.

 

Fifteen minutes later, Sammy has some bombs. They aren’t very good bombs, but they’re bombs, and that’s all he really needs. He sneaks out the door and runs off to find the other team’s camp.

 

Another fifteen minutes later, Sammy is a prisoner again and the entire Warcraft camp is drenched in coffee and bleach.

 

~~~~

 

The aftermath of the war was very extreme, especially since it was just an office Nerf fight. Everyone’s clothes were ruined, K-Cups were found to make inefficent but very amusing bombs, Wally had ten new pranks added to his prank list and Grant almost had a heart attack after he saw what the cost of replacing ten desks, part of a wall, part of the vent system, and a window would cost.

Also, Joey was banned from ever starting anything like this again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is not what you expected. i couldnt make out half the lyrics so i had to look at the comment section and then i couldn't come up with much so i just wrote this instead sorry  
> no one was hurt except sammy's dignity, which wasnt very high to begin with contrary to popular belief. and the plant. and the coffee machine. and all the kcups for the coffee machine, because they were used as bombs. and some bleach. and the clothes. but no one was aiming for the face so it was okay.  
> sorry for subjecting you to this


	21. In Which Henry is a Jungle Gym

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry walks into a room full of Searchers. This goes as well as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wait no it doesn't

**In another world,** Henry, having just escaped “Bendy” (again), is walking around with an axe, cursing his terrible luck and the fact that “Alice” just  _ had  _ to send him on a death mission.

The sound of playful laughter catches his attention. Peering around a corner, he sees a small band of Searchers moving around. Unlike the others he's encountered, they seem much more lively, their liquid forms stretching and contorting into a variety of shapes as they swarm about. Ink coats everything in the room, but it only seems to serve as more entertainment for them, and they pop in and out of the puddles that they make. One even ends up on the top of a Little Miracle Station.

He smiles to himself as he watches them.  _ At least they’re having fun. I know I’m not.  _

As if on cue, he hears a grumble a little bit behind him. It’s a very familiar grumble. It also usually marks his doom and subsequent death and revival. Immediately, every Searcher in the room melts 

into the puddles. Henry quickly runs into the room and hides inside the Miracle Station, which….

Works better than he expected it to. “Bendy” walks into the room, does a cursory scan, and then walks out. As soon as the ink recedes, Henry exits the Little Miracle Station, forgetting for a single second that there are a shitton of Searchers in this room. By the time he remembers, though, every single Searcher in the room resurfaces at the exact same time, just as Henry gets halfway across the room (he is surprisingly fast for an old guy). They look at him (or seem to, anyway) and then go back to doing what they were doing, except now Henry is a jungle gym standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

This…is a problem. Not a big one, but a problem nonetheless.

Seeing as he probably isn’t going anywhere for a while, he watches the proceedings with interest. He flinches as a Searcher launches itself across the room...somehow. It seems to be aiming for a puddle on the other side of the room. Unfortunately, it misses and splatters across the floor. A moment later, however, that same Searcher reforms, acting like it had simply banged its head. 

On the other side of the room, a few Searchers are “jumping” over each other. This consists of using the fact that they are made of liquid to turn into a fountain and arc over each other. It’s pretty inventive and also fairly terrifying.  _ If the Searchers that have been hunting me figure out how to do that, I’m dead. _

And then, of course, there are the Searchers that are using him as a jungle gym. Most just jump on and off. One seems to be clinging to his leg. He is mildly irritated and mildly terrified at the same time. 

Still, it’s nice to see a little patch of happiness in the studio.

Henry sits down, much to the annoyance of the Searcher on his leg.  _ This is actually kind of fun. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please save me, latin is dead and it's still kicking me in the ass  
> edit: this is the sound of me screaming as i realize that this is all one prompt and i missed two parts of it and i just posted an unfinished prompt. we'll be right back with the full prompt  
> edit two: okay, actual full prompt now. 
> 
> henry is a confused lump of confusion and it's hilarious and kind of heartwarming at the same time  
> these searchers are my children now. you can't have them


	22. in todays chapter, grant lectures joey, again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant lectures Joey. Again.  
> (Prompt by MsFaust.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So since I'm currently obsessed with my own AU, this is set in an AU of an AU, namely the Screws, Ink, and Stuffed Toys AU. So this is after Henry leaves but before Joey sends the company into a downward spiral and, y'know, murders half the employees.
> 
> (I have. So many ideas. And ten outlines for all of them. Please save me.)

**In another world,** Grant has somehow managed to tie Joey Drew up (despite being about a foot shorter than him and weighing a lot less) and is now lecturing him on both hostile work environments and taxes. Complete with a blackboard. That he dragged out of the break room.

Somehow.

"And that creates a what? A hostile work environment." Grant writes the words on the board. "So, things like asking a voice actress out even when she made it clear she's not interested - not appropriate. Calling her by the name of a character she voices - not appropriate. Giving said character to another voice actress because the original one won't go out with you - NOT APPROPRIATE."

"No wonder Sammy and Susie quit yesterday," Shawn whispers to Wally.

"You wanna join them?" Wally whispers back.

Shawn shrugs. “Wouldn’t be the worst thing. With the rumors I’ve been hearing, I don’t wanna see what Joey’s planning.”

Grant continues his lecture by smacking Joey. Joey makes a muffled yelp sound, but quiets when Grant glares at him. “Slapping is not an appropriate action to do to your employees either,” here he looks Bertrum dead in the eyes, “BERTRUM.”

Bertrum grumbles from his place beside of Lacie. Lacie gives him the side-eye, but says nothing. Grant, on the other hand, walks over. “No one is ever going to get ANY work done if you keep slapping them.”

Bertrum sighs. “I never slapped anyone, Grant.”

“I can PERSONALLY go against that, Bertrum.” Grant retorts. Lacie nods silently and continues saying nothing. 

While Grant and Bertrum have a fight in that corner, Joey manages to wiggle out of his bonds. Immediately he stands up and starts to hightail it out of the room, only stopped by the fact that the door is locked. He swears and draws Grant’s attention back to him.

Grant storms over. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Sit. Back. Down.”

“Grant, and I mean full offense by this, I am your boss.”

“And we are having a meeting right now. Sit down.” 

“You can’t make me.”

“I can and I will make you! How do you think I tied you up in the first place?”

Shawn interrupts them, saying, “We don’t need to fight, guys. Grant, Joey is a lost cause. Joey, Grant is the only one who knows how taxes work. You two, please do not murder each other.”

Grant huffs and backs away from Joey. “Fine, Shawn. But only because you asked.”

Joey, on the other hand, crosses his arms and glares at Shawn. “I’m going to repeat what I said to Grant. I am your boss. You can’t tell me what to do.”

“Joey, tell me something. Honestly,” Shawn asks, “Do you know how to do your own taxes?”

“...no.”   
“Then you gotta put up with Grant’s ranting.” Shawn says, ignoring Grant’s insulted “hey!” “Or figure out how to do them yourself.”

Joey grumbles, but doesn’t say anything else. Shawn turns to Grant. “Grant, can we leave now?”

“I guess.” Grant isn’t happy, but seems to be in a reasonable state of mind now. “I don’t have much else to say.” He unlocks the door and lets everyone leave.

  
  


The next day, Shawn and Wally turn in their official resignations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeets this into the sun   
> this is basically Grant ranting and then probably quitting the next day. don't ask how his 5'1, 89 pound ass tied Joey up. I don't know myself.  
> pretty much everyone is safe. except bertrum. bertrum dies in every au i make, pretty much. but he doesn't die in this ficlet because it's not the entire au, i guess. i still like the original au better but  
> heyy  
> this one is actually pretty great  
> and probably canon


	23. Music Mayhem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malice is rudely awoken.  
> Prompt from MsFaust.

**In another world,** Malice is rather rudely woken up by very, very loud rock music being played over extremely loud pop music, which is being played over slightly less loud classical music. Over all of it is a pirate shanty. It’s obvious who’s blasting this awful mix of music.

Sitting up with a groan, Malice takes a moment to look at the photo she keeps on the table by her bed. It showed Susie, Allison, Sammy, Wally, Henry, Norman, Shawn, Thomas, Grant, and Lacie, shortly before Henry quit. The others had followed suit, getting out before the madness started, and never looking back. She had little doubt they were all doing just fine.

"At least none of them have to deal with three idiots who blare their music in the middle of the night."

Stretching, she gets out of bed, and immediately stomps down to the Butcher Gang’s room. Kicking open the door, she pulls a syringe out from...somewhere and points it at the closest member of the gang. “Stop playing your music at -” she checks her watch “3 AM in the fucking morning! It’s nighttime! Go the fuck to sleep!”

Edgar immediately bolts up onto the ceiling and through a hole. Malice assumes it’s to avoid her wrath. Charley and Barley, on the other hand, pull out their weapons and point them at her. “Make us!” they both yell in unison.

“Gladly.”

 

Meanwhile, in the ceiling, Edgar’s very glad he decided to run when he did. He can hear the noises of Malice and the two other members of the Gang fighting. Judging by the sound of it, the Gang is losing. Badly.

However, the other occupant of the ceiling isn’t as happy as he is, mostly because his space has been invaded by a giant spider with teeth. Said occupant is now readying a catapult full of ink.

A few seconds later, and Edgar is covered head to toe in goopy, half-dried ink, and not at all happy about it. He screeches to relay the fact that someone is going to have all the ink sucked out of them, and it’s not going to be him. Then he charges at the other occupant of the ceiling, who dodges and drops out of sight. Edgar follows.

And then they both land on Bendy.

 

“What even happened here?” Boris asks, pressing on Edgar’s remaining 7 legs to make sure they weren’t broken. “Why did you all decide to fight each other at 3 AM in the morning?”

Malice shrugs, her arm bandaged. “They were blasting their music.”

Charley and Barley chime in, once again in a unison. “She tried to stop us.”

Edgar mumbles something. Boris frowns. “Repeat that?” In response, Edgar screeches three times in a row before going silent. The other occupant of the ceiling simply shrugs and goes back to drawing on the walls. 

Bendy, on the other hand, scowls. “These two jokers thought it’d be funny to land on me! They coulda hurt me!”

“Bendy, they didn’t mean to. You know the ceiling’s kinda falling apart.”

“Well, they still coulda hurt me,” Bendy grumbles, pouting. “And that wouldn’t’ve been good.”

“I suppose not.” Boris sighs. “Can we at least agree to not do this again?”

All 6 offenders look at each other. They look at Boris. And then all of them shake their heads no.

Boris sighs a very tired sigh. “Of course not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh well rip edgar i think

**Author's Note:**

> what is my life


End file.
